If you want to advance in your technology career, it makes sense to grow your technology skills. Achieving a new certification, attending a bootcamp, or earning an advanced degree are all steps that tech professionals take as they seek to move ahead in their careers. However, focusing on tech skills alone will not be enough for many tech professions.

“I have a warning to cloud engineers, software engineers, network engineers, and all hands-on technology professionals,” says Michael Gibbs, CEO of Go Cloud Careers. “If you limit your learning to tech skills, you will have a more difficult time succeeding in today’s modern world. Even worse, you run the risk of being replaced or outsourced within the next five years.”

Michael has over two decades of experience training students for high-paying positions in the field of networking and cloud computing. The unique programs offered through Go Cloud Careers provide students with unparalleled technical competency as well as proficiency in the soft skills needed to succeed as elite technology professionals. Go Cloud’s training gives its students an exceptionally high success rate at securing six-figure jobs.

“The good news is that there are things that any tech professional can do to increase their income, get promoted, and thrive in their career,” Michael says. “The key is focusing on the skills that will never become obsolete.”

Developments that are transforming the tech world

To thrive in today’s tech space, tech workers need to pay close attention to three ongoing developments, each of which is contributing to a major shift in tech opportunities. The first involves the quality of technology, which has increased dramatically in recent years. Keeping tech up and running is not as much of a challenge as it once was.

“When I started working in technology over 25 years ago, the tech didn’t always work,” Michael explains. “Qualified technology people were in high demand and the better your tech skills, the more you earned. But things have changed. In today’s world, tech works much better. Those who support it aren’t as busy as they once were.”

Globalization is another development that is challenging the security of certain tech jobs. The Covid-19 pandemic proved that geography is irrelevant when it comes to staffing. As a result, the pool for tech employees is much larger than it was just a few years ago.

“Do you think a business would prefer to pay $200,000 to an engineer in the US or $56,000 to an engineer in India?” Michael asks. “In either case, the person is receiving equivalent compensation when adjusted for cost of living and will be performing the same quality of work. This means a company can get four capable people overseas for the price of a single person in the US. If you were the CEO, who would you hire?”

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the third development that is reshaping the tech space. AI tools like ChatGPT have already proven they can code. To compete, developers will need to develop new skills that AI cannot offer.

Skills that can boost your tech career

To stay competitive, tech workers need to add business skills to their tech talents. Many applicants know how to configure technology, but few know how technology can transform the business where it is being deployed.

“Developing your business acumen allows you to understand the value that technology brings to organizations,” Michael says. “When you add business acumen to your tech skills, you are better equipped to help a business increase its revenue, its employee productivity, and its profits.”

Leadership skills will also help tech workers to have successful careers. Technology can’t replace leadership. Good companies will always look to hire and promote those who can lead others.

“Early in my life, I heard an African proverb that changed the trajectory of my career,” Michael says. “It states that if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. That’s the secret of success in tech or any field. Build a great team and be able to lead that great team and you will advance in your career.”

Being able to sell is another business skill that can help tech professionals. To be effective and advance, tech pros must be able to sell customers on solutions, sell management on the need for resources, and sell their teams on the importance of contributing to projects. Success in any elite technology role requires being able to sell.

Shifting from engineering to architecture

As engineers and other hands-on professionals add business acumen, leadership skills, and soft skills to their capabilities, they become a more critical part of the organization. Another step they can take to increase their value is to shift their focus from engineering to architecture.

“Engineers that are hands-on only without great communication skills, leadership skills, or sales skills will struggle as the tech field continues to evolve,” Michael warns. “Architects are not as vulnerable, as they focus on designing systems that improve business performance. In fact, architects are the key to digital transformation.”

Technology architects, like cloud architects, enterprise architects, and network architects, assist businesses in leveraging technology to improve business performance. They provide a unique and valuable mix of technology expertise and business acumen.

“Architects understand the customer’s business problem and the ways in which technology can solve the problem,” Michael says. “They bring the human touch to the digital transformation process, which is why they cannot be replaced by technology.”